The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 34)

Here's the latest edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a regular look at research and articles designed to keep youth ministers, adult volunteers, and parents in the loop on what's happening in youth culture. (Read why we think it's important here.)

We Want To Equip You And Those You Serve

Consider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:

• Use the PRINT and/or EMAIL buttons at the top and bottom of the page to share this content with your ministry team and especially your students' parents. (For a real-life example of what this looks like, check out this post from ym360 Contributor Aaron Kirkpatrick.) 
• Repost it on your blog or church website
• SHARE IT with your youth ministry networks. This is a great way to help your peeps!

Without further ado, here are some relevant links we think you should know about. 

Social Media & Technology

• The End Of Scandal As We Know It
• Is Social Media Causing Us to Self-Censor on Hot-Button Issues?
• President Obama Says Social Media Magnifies the Dangers of a 'Messy' World
• Culture Watch: Digital Tools and Digital Rules
• Youth Ministry Tracker iOS app Review

Trends, Culture, & Entertainment

• Beyond Millennials: How to Reach Generation Z
• CPYU’s Trend Alert: HGH and Teens
• The 2018 Beloit College Mindset List 
• Most Teenagers Believe Porn Is Damaging. Could Sex Ed Be The Answer?
• The Cost of Raising Kids
• What movies are your students and/or their friends watching? Click here to check out which movies won the weekend. 
• Stay in touch with what your students and/or their friends are listening to. The Billboard Hot 100 tracks songs across all mediums. By clicking here you can listen to and watch the videos for the most popular songs in the country right now. (NOTE: Use discernment when previewing this content as, sadly, much of it is objectionable.)

A Glance At Recent Research

• Did unleaded gasoline, Plan B, and the internet reduce teen births too?
• Study finds teens still view sunbeds as harmless
• Helicopter Parenting Linked to Obesity in Offspring
• Millennials Are Waiting Longer Than Any Generation to Get Married
• Study: Teenagers Actually Do Need More Sleep

That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one in the next week or so.

[Note: By nature, some of the articles and subject matter we deal with in Trends & Culture often conflicts with our beliefs and ethics as Christ-followers. Our purpose in linking to this type of material is to simply give you the option of knowing the culture your students are surrounded by. Use discretion to determine which links to click on.]